Dinner HELP!!!

CaGinger
CaGinger Posts: 180 Member
edited September 19 in Health and Weight Loss
I have found that I do really well with my calories all day long and then when I come to dinner I tend to eat more then I should.

Any tips for avoiding a big dinner? Should I skimp more on the daily cals to "save up" for dinner? I eat about 450 for breakfast 300 for lunch and my snacks are 130 then 170.

In a day I eat:

Morning- Egg/ham english muffin (coffee with milk and sugar)

Snack- fat free milk and fruit (water x2)

Lunch- Salad / Soup (water)

Snack- Yogurt (water)

Dinner: Anything goes :grumble: Veggies or Salad

Then at dinner I go way over the 330 left to me. My cal intake should be 1380 with no working out. When I work out (3x a week) I usually make my cal goal but I am worried I am eating too many cals at night. Any advice?

I figured I would add in what I am drinking as well.

Replies

  • Daisy_May
    Daisy_May Posts: 505 Member
    My thing is I like to leave lots of calrories for diner, I know I like to cook and love nothing more then making a nice meal. It's the one thing that makes me feel like I'm not on a diet and that I could do this for the rest of my life.
    I tend to leave about 600 calories for diner and I'm still full during the day I just do fruit smoothies for breakfast, have a couple snaks through out the day and mini wheats or multi grain toast for lunch (I have limited things I can make at work and the cereal is quick and I don't have to worry about having time to make anythign)
  • hdawg
    hdawg Posts: 28
    I could not make it on 300 calories for dinner. Have you tried eating a lower calorie breakfast like some cheerios or something? That should add another 100 calories to dinner. FYI, I usually eat between 600-700 of my daily calories for dinner. if not I get super hungry before bed.
  • nhoffman08
    nhoffman08 Posts: 28
    Here is a meal that I love to make, just to give you an idea...

    1 chicken breast cutlet (150 cal) Kroger has a bag of them in the meat dept. Frozen!!!
    use a paper towel with a little olive oil on it to lightly coat your pan.
    Sprinkle Spike seasoning onto chicken(one or both sides) (0 calories and low sodium, great flavor!)
    cook chicken about 3 min on one side,flip chicken and add your choice of raw veggies around it. I use asparagus, shredded carrots, yellow squash, zucchini, mushrooms and sometimes spinach and broccoli. Lots of veggies, measure them and track for calorie content. cover and cook for about 3-5 min until veggies are tender but still have crunch. Sprinkle with about 1/2 tbsp of shredded parmasean cheese, cover and let melt. Sprinkle fresh chopped parsley on top.

    Your plate is full and what a great flavored meal!!! My hubby loves it and it's about 230-270 depending on the amount of veggies/cheese used. Then you even have calorie room for a small dessert later if you want!

    Always add in what you are drinking unless it is water. Juices, milk and other drinks have calories and they add up fast!
  • CaGinger
    CaGinger Posts: 180 Member
    Thanks! I will try more veggies and a small amount of meat. Its just hard when I am cooking and not eating the same as everyone else. I only drink milk water or coffee so I make sure to add those in. I don't want to eat tons of cals at night so I think that may be a good solution.

    Heres trying. :drinker:
  • snowsflake
    snowsflake Posts: 214 Member
    Whatever you do don't cut back on your breakfast calories. That is the most important meal of the day, so you should consume all of your allotted calories. If you want to eat a larger dinner then you should cut back on your snack calories. You get 345 calories per meal if you're eating 4 meals, so have a 200 calorie snack and add the additional calories to your dinner count. Also, eating a whole grain and tons of veggies with a good lean protein will keep you full longer. Add a 1/2 cup of brown rice or whole wheat pasta. Don't want to take the time to cook brown rice? Bird's Eye has frozen brown rice that has no added salts, sugars or oils and you just throw it in the microwave. I use them when I don't have the time to cook brown rice at home. I can usually get about 3 servings out of one bag which costs about $1.25/bag. Totally worth the convenience.

    Also, it doesn't look like you're getting enough protein throughout the day, which is probably why you're going over your calories...you're hungry! Add more lean proteins throughout the day and that should help out as well! Good luck!
  • CaGinger
    CaGinger Posts: 180 Member
    Between breakfast and dinner I am meeting my protien goals... thanks for the help guys I will try to change some things up!
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    MFP seems to be low on their protein amount, especially if you are working out regularly.

    you could eliminate the yolk from your breakfast and gain 55 calories that way, and trim a bit off your snacks, to get more for dinner. I try to have about 500 for dinner, and I am fully satisfied with that. 300 would be a little tough. :flowerforyou:
  • 9726172000
    9726172000 Posts: 428
    I always have a chicken omlet with cheese in the morning with some fruit and this is only about 225 cals. and this way it leaves me for dinner about 800-1000 cals for dinner. I do eat 5-6 meals a day. I also eat a small salad with my lunch and also I will have soup or a small salad with dinner. Also you might want to try putting your dinner on a good sized salad plate instead of a regular sized dinner plate. Sometimes when we see our small amount of food on a normal sized plate we think we are not getting enough food.
  • vanimami
    vanimami Posts: 433 Member
    I dont' know what kind of english muffin you eat, but they do have some regular sized 100 calorie english muffin. I usually eat an english muffine w/ 1 scrambled egg inside and some butter for b-fast. also, for dinner, I usually have a piece of salmon w/ veggies or maybe a piece of toast w/ butter for dinner and I don't think it goes over 300 cals :huh:
  • vanimami
    vanimami Posts: 433 Member
    I always have a chicken omlet with cheese in the morning with some fruit and this is only about 225 cals. and this way it leaves me for dinner about 800-1000 cals for dinner. I do eat 5-6 meals a day. I also eat a small salad with my lunch and also I will have soup or a small salad with dinner. Also you might want to try putting your dinner on a good sized salad plate instead of a regular sized dinner plate. Sometimes when we see our small amount of food on a normal sized plate we think we are not getting enough food.

    Chicken omlet sounds REALLY good! How do you make it?
  • 9726172000
    9726172000 Posts: 428
    You take 2 oz already baked chicken breast (no skin) chopped up. 3 egg whites scramble up in a non stick pan when done put in a bowl (or a small container) top with 1 TBL. of salsa or hot sauce to taste with a low cal slice of cheese. Let cheese melt slightly and then mix it up so the chese is mixed in with the omlet. This is very filling. I make it every morning and I take it to work with me. At my first break this is what I will have along with some fresh fruit.
    I work out before I go to work so when I get to work before clocking in I will have for my post work out meal is a 1/2 can of tuna with mayo and relish with about 15 crackers. This also helps in keeping away hunger.
  • vanimami
    vanimami Posts: 433 Member
    You take 2 oz already baked chicken breast (no skin) chopped up. 3 egg whites scramble up in a non stick pan when done put in a bowl (or a small container) top with 1 TBL. of salsa or hot sauce to taste with a low cal slice of cheese. Let cheese melt slightly and then mix it up so the chese is mixed in with the omlet. This is very filling. I make it every morning and I take it to work with me. At my first break this is what I will have along with some fresh fruit.
    I work out before I go to work so when I get to work before clocking in I will have for my post work out meal is a 1/2 can of tuna with mayo and relish with about 15 crackers. This also helps in keeping away hunger.

    Thank you! :flowerforyou:
  • CaGinger
    CaGinger Posts: 180 Member
    :heart: Awesome thanks for all the help! :heart:
  • chrissyh
    chrissyh Posts: 8,235 Member
    I try really hard to spread my calories out - the more i do the better I lose but seems like A LOT of the time, my supper is by far the bulk of my calories....the more you can break it up the more you're feeding your metabolism....if I'd just practice what I preach!
  • lettuceb
    lettuceb Posts: 207 Member
    I have the same problem. I eat well all day long and then come dinner I blow it, ususally. My husband cooks and makes great meals. I try to eat a lot more protein then what is called for here because I lift weights, so I try to have a protein shake/drink with skim milk within 30 minutes of lifting.I know I just need to cut down on what I am eating at dinner and no more wine!!!:happy: That way maybe I will start seeing some weightloss from all my efforts of lifting and doing the C25K!
  • ngwife4life
    ngwife4life Posts: 569
    In a day I eat:

    Morning- Egg/ham english muffin (coffee with milk and sugar)

    Snack- fat free milk and fruit (water x2)

    Lunch- Salad / Soup (water)

    Snack- Yogurt (water)

    Dinner: Anything goes :grumble: Veggies or Salad

    Then at dinner I go way over the 330 left to me. My cal intake should be 1380 with no working out. When I work out (3x a week) I usually make my cal goal but I am worried I am eating too many cals at night. Any advice?

    I figured I would add in what I am drinking as well.

    I would personally ditch half the english muffin and keep the egg yolk to cut some calories at breakfast. I do one whole grain waffle with 1.5 tbsp peanut butter for breakfast and it keeps me full for much longer than when i went down to 1 tbsp PB and 2 waffles. Then I spread it out and have a banana for snack (I used to eat it with breakfast).

    Also, do you have protein on your lunch salads? Try a handful of nuts with your snack or lunch to help keep you from feeling super hungry at dinner.

    The most important thing to me - and where I fall flat on my face if I don't do it - is planning out my day. If I log into MFP the night before or in the morning and say I'm going to have 4 ounces of chicken, 1 tbsp marinade, 1/2 cup rice and 2 cups mixed vegetables then chances are, I'm going to stick to it. When I wait and do my thinking about what's for dinner and how much of it I'm going to eat, I go completely off track and make the most horrible decisions. I also plan a "dessert" for myself of strawberries or grapes to eat so I have an after dinner snack to look forward to. I don't always eat it but when I do, it's completely guiltless. Sometimes I exchange it for ice cream - but only once in awhile and when I have the calories to do so.

    I know that my way of doing things isn't for everyone but hopefully there's something in there that you can at least ponder. :flowerforyou:
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